Many of the newbies are on each other’s friends lists. From the look of it, Tabetha trolls FB looking for new authors. She gets on an author’s page, solicits them, then goes after author friends of theirs on their friends lists, and so forth. Like a string.

We all know from experience that a good number of the names on the list above are Tabetha’s alts. And alts of alts. And maybe even alts of alts of alts. So not all of the people on this list actually exist.

But some do, and they deserve to know what a scam they’re dealing with. So if you know any of them, be sure to let them know about Phoenix Fire Publishing’s F rating on the Better Business Bureau. Let them know about Phoenix Fire on Writer Beware, Editors and Predators, the Absolute Write water cooler, Emily Suess’s blog, Dear Cuss’s blog, and invite them to read this one. Even if you don’t know them, drop them a line and tell them.

I know a good few authors who wish that they’d been told about Tabetha Jones and Phoenix Fire Publishing before they signed on the dotted line. Their lives would have been spared a nightmare if they had. So let’s do everything we can to make sure new victims know all about her so that their nightmare can be avoided. Or, if they’ve already published with her, they’ll know what to look for: Lots of excuses but low (if any) royalties, every quarter even though Amazon/Createspace pays every month. Let them know that Phoenix Fire doesn’t exist as a legal company, so their contracts aren’t legally binding, either. Authors can take their work and walk away if they want to, and there’s nothing legal that Tabetha can do to stop them. Let them know that they don’t have to become or remain victims. They don’t have to deal with her alone.

A couple of the people listed aren’t with Phoenix Fire anymore, but she hasn’t gotten around to taking their names off of her sites yet. That’s another tactic of hers, hoarding names to make her scam company look more impressive than it is. Even after an author demands that their names be removed, it takes forever to make that happen. So if you know of an author that’s left Phoenix Fire, but their name still appears on this list, be sure to let them know so that they can get on her to make her remove them from her wretched company.

It’s all about exposure, folks. Tabetha counts on sliding under the radar, sneaking around on the sly, and snagging authors that she hopes haven’t heard of her yet. She wants to sign them to her illegal contracts, then bully them with the threat of legal action when the author wises up and tries to leave. Expose the truth to those poor souls she’s trying to ensnare and rip off. Let them know about her bogus company, phony contracts, devious tactics, scamming reputation and penchant for skimping on royalties. Let them know that they don’t owe her a dime if she tries to make them pay to leave. Let them know to yank and republish their titles so that she can’t continue to sell them without the author’s knowledge. (Beth Wright’s book The Devil’s Pet Kitten is STILL for sale with PF listed as the publisher even though she left Tabetha years ago.) Let them know that they aren’t alone. They can always come here and talk to others that have stood in their shoes. We can tell them exactly how to deal with Tabetha Jones.

Don’t let that scheming weasel slime around under the radar continuing to victimize authors. Cut her off at the pass, and save these new authors the pain of dealing with her any longer than it takes to get their work away from her. They’ll thank you, believe me.

People helped us find out what a scam, fraud, and thief Tabetha Jones is. Pay it forward and help those she’s trying to scam next.

If you’re thinking about publishing a book, make sure to Google the publisher you’re thinking of working with. If you see that they’ve got a lot of complaints, run the other way.
If you see that they’ve got a BBB rating of F, run.
If they’re written up in Editors and Predators, run.
If they’re posted on Writer, Beware, run.
If they’re on Absolute Write as a fraud, run.
If they’re on half a dozen blogs as a scam, run.

Do your homework, folks. Don’t be so eager to see your name in print that you fall for a scam. This is your name on the line, your reputation. Make sure it’s being handled by somebody competent. At least make sure the company’s LEGAL. Otherwise, you might find that you’re being ripped off, and you have to fight tooth and nail just to get back the work that was yours in the first place. Chances are, you won’t ever see the money you should have earned.

Honestly, I couldn’t care less what she does with her camera. Or her tongue. We all know that she’s a tacky, tasteless ho-bag. My primary concern was to expose her as a fraud publisher for the world to see, to stop her from being able to victimize authors far and wide who have no way to seek justice against her. I’ve done that, thanks to the bravery of her victims stepping forth and telling the truth about her.
If she wants to victimize and abuse local customers, more power to her. She’ll find it a little harder to brush off refund requests face to face when local customers discover what a no-talent hack and fraud she is.
She’s trying to sneak back in on the publishing world under the radar, quietly publishing some poor new sap’s book on Christmas – and spending most of the day trolling this blog to see what I had to say about it. Sorry, but I spent my day in the company of loved ones celebrating the Holiday, not trolling around online like a certain fraud I could name.
I chatted with that author victim in the recent past about what a fraud she is, and showed him all the reasons why he shouldn’t publish with her, but he went ahead anyway. Oh well. He can’t say he wasn’t warned. When payday rolls around, months from now, and he gets more excuses than royalties, maybe he’ll realize that he should have taken heed after all. If not, it’s no skin off my ass. It’s his money to lose. If he doesn’t mind handing it over to a scam artist, that’s his choice.
I spent lot of time this year on Tabetha and her shenanigans. I’m not doing that this coming year. I’ve got my own projects that need attention, and they’re going to get it.
Sure, I’ll still advocate for her victims. I know that even though the BBB has her number, she’s trying to cover that up by joining other organizations, and who knows? Some victims might fall for it when she tells them that the BBB was “lied to” and that membership in other organizations makes up for it. They can’t say they weren’t warned, either. They’ll find out, just like this poor guy she published yesterday, that she’s a fraud, ripping them off and lying to their faces. And when they do, they’ll have to decide how to get away from her. It’s on them. They’re grown. They make the choices and live with the consequences.
I’m making my own choice: not to spend all my time on the undeserving waste of skin that is Tabetha Jones.

“Ruby”, with all her tact and class, came roaring back with:

*sigh*
Some days there just aren’t enough face palms.

The only gag going on around here is that reflex in the back of my throat when I think of anything Tabetha Jones says or does, whether it’s some new batch of tacky porn photos or yet another abysmally horrible job she’s done (not) editing or (badly) publishing some poor sap’s book. Either of those is good for a bout of acid reflux.

There’s no court order making me shut up. And if there were, I’d wipe my ass with it.

She’s back up to her old tricks, conning authors and cranking out her masturbatory “anthologies” to rip people off with. At this point, all I can do is shake my head. If authors are so eager to see their names in print that they don’t take the time to Google the publisher they’re thinking of working with, there’s nothing I can do about it. We’ve put the information out there. All they have to do is look. I feel bad for those that are poised to fall victim to her conning, scheming, thieving, abusive tactics. I really do. But sometimes, I guess people just have to learn for themselves. The hard way. And, with her, they will.
She still charges authors up front.
Even though Amazon pays every month, she still makes them wait for quarterly payments.
When the quarter rolls around, they’ll still get pennies of whatever their book really earned, if anything.
When they realize they’ve been conned, they’ll try to leave.
She’ll tell them their contracts are binding.
If they insist, she’ll make them pay an early separation fee.
Even after they leave her, they’ll still find their books for sale, with her getting paid, not them.
Some of them will be so scarred they give up writing all together.

And not a single one of them can say we didn’t warn them. All I can do is tell them what a fraud she is, and remind them that their contracts aren’t legally binding when they finally see the truth and decide to walk away from her. They still might not listen, but at least I tried.

When I say I’ve got better things to do, I mean exactly that. I’ve got a book project coming out this year that I’m really excited about. It’s been far too long since I had a book published. My next book is socially relevant, and I hope for the best with it. Unlike Tabetha, I write actual books, not Mary Jane spank cranked out in a week that has to be double-spaced in order to fill up pages. I wish I could say more about my upcoming project, but it’ll just have to wait. Hopefully, it’ll be worth the wait. If not, at least it won’t be for lack of honest effort. That’s more than she could say on her best day, since she doesn’t do anything honest.

No, boys and girls. There’s no gag order. There’s only the real world that I plan to spend more of my time in. She can suck eggs, if there’s a hen that’ll have her.

Let me tell you a bedtime story, boys and girls. It’s just a quick one, so settle in.

There was once a farmer who cared for his flock so dearly that he dedicated his days and nights to keeping them safe. He often slept in the barn with his charges, to watch over them and spent many days tending faithfully to the gardens that sustained them all.
One day, a serpent found its way into the barn. It nested deep in the shadows, preying upon the small, lonely and weak. With a sharp tongue and sharper teeth, it hunted, feasted and grew fat. The farmer, anguished, chased the serpent. But it was clever and quick, and evaded capture. The farmer set traps, but the serpent avoided them. The farmer kept watch, but the serpent slithered quiet and slick.
Finally, determined to keeping his flock safe, the farmer routed out the serpent’s nest, and with great conviction, drove it out. He boarded up all access and prayed that it would be enough to keep the evil out.
Happy days and nights passed. The flock prospered and the crops grew strong. The farmer rested easy, certain that the farm was safe.
When the flock grew relaxed and the farmer became comfortable, the serpent tried to wind its way back onto the farm. It poked its blunt snout into the garden and flicked its forked tongue, testing out the scent of new prey. The farmer saw this, and was saddened. Being a kind man, he hated to take the life of any living thing under the sky. But sometimes, he knew, the greater good was served by the riddance of such evil. So he took up a shovel and removed the serpent of its head, lest it come back yet again.
Ever after, days and nights passed peacefully. The flock did well and the crops grew healthy and strong. Having learned from experience, however, the farmer remained vigilant, keeping a weather eye on the shadows and a shovel close at hand. The serpent had been slain, but evil knew many faces. If evil showed itself again, the farmer was prepared to handle it swiftly and true.

The moral of the story is clear, my friends. If you see a snake in the grass, chop that fucker’s head off.

If you awaken and dread going to work on your current book, you’ve taken too long in writing it. Put it in a drawer and move on to another project. Perhaps if it gathers dust for a little while, you’ll be able to view it with renewed enthusiasm later. Writing should be a labour of love and discovery, not drudgery.

If, on the other hand, you’ve written a book in just a few days, you’ve done it too fast. Ease up on the gas. You’re missing too much of the scenery.
~uncredited

Just for giggles, I took a peek at Phoenix Fire Publishing on the Better Business Bureau website, and found a welcome surprise. As it should be, Phoenix Fire’s rating on the BBB is… Well, I’ll just show you.
That’s right. It’s an F. A FAIL, and an epic one, at that.

Another author complained about how they were treated at the hands of Tabetha Jones Hoover Saulter Willis (whatever) and Phoenix Fire publishing. This time, Tabetha didn’t even bother to reply. How could she? Every word in that complaint is true, and the author could prove it.
For your amusement, and so that there’s no mistake, here’s the breakdown of rating and the complaint:
Finally, for the whole world to see through the Better Business Bureau, here’s how Tabetha Jones scams authors and editors within her company. She switches up royalties, authors get stiffed on swag and covers. Tabetha promises her authors higher royalties to edit each other’s books, then doesn’t pay royalties at all, even when the author can prove that there were copies sold. It’s the same story we’ve heard time and time again from her, and now the BBB knows it. So does the world.

That, my friends, is what a death toll looks and sounds like. I’m pretty sure there’s no coming back from this. Now and forever in the future, if an author Googles Phoenix Fire publishing, they’ll find that rating and that complaint, and they’ll be warned away from that horrible company.

At this point, I don’t feel that Phoenix Fire company is a threat to eager new authors any longer. Good. That means I can focus on happier things. And it’s about time. A lot of us have been dealing with her for years. I know that I’ll be much happier without that albatross tromping around in my thoughts. More importantly, I think it finally vindicates her victims, proving to the world how badly they were treated. I think Tabetha liked it when her victims felt isolated, abused and battered into retreat. But those victims banded together and exposed her to the public. They told the truth, and now the whole world can see it. We can all move forward with publishing projects without a single thought of her anywhere in our minds.

That doesn’t mean that I’ll stop watching, however. If I see that she’s sneaking around under the radar, trying to exploit an author that isn’t a figment of her imagination, I’ll certainly let them know who they’re dealing with and point them at not only this blog, but also the BBB website. There’s clear evidence that she can’t be trusted.

I don’t take credit for the death of Phoenix Fire publishing. From the very first brave soul that stepped forward to speak out about Tabetha to Emily Suess, Absolute Write, Writer Weware and dear Cussedness, Janrae Frank, they all deserve credit. Mostly every single victim that has spoken up since then, it’s the people that she’s victimized since then, it’s you folks that made it possible. I applaud each and every one of you.